A New Age Twist on some Age Old traditions

or
Yes, Virginia, there is a Shirley McLaine
  
     

 

             
 

It's that time of year again. And as Christmas draws near, we once again get bombarded with cartoon specials, greeting cards, commercials, theater productions, and red-garbed fat men all trying to tell us the true meaning of Christmas. So now I want to take a shot at it.
First things first, what about religion? Christians everywhere can tell you what it's all about. It has to do with stables, wise men, shepherds, and a little baby god who got Myrrh rather than a teddy bear on his birthday. Christmas is a religious holiday. There's no doubt about that, but it's no longer solely the property of the church. People all over celebrate Christmas, and while there may be some commonality to what they're celebrating, it doesn't lie in religion. Many people do flock to their places of worship on Christmas to watch the pageant(I wonder how it will end this year.) and sing "Silent Night," but many people do not. They still seem to be celebrating Christmas but in a different way. So is Christmas a religious holiday? Yes, I'd be hard pressed to answer differently, but is it just a religious holiday? I don't think so. I think it has transcended its origins to include a wider range of people. While some may feel that this is a degradation of the holiday, I don't agree.
"It's all so commercial." Some would have us believe that the holidays continued existence is owed to the big businesses that cash in on it. It's easy to see where this idea becomes believable with all the advertising that goes on. Everyone's got the perfect gift. Everyone will gladly save you the trouble of shopping around if you'd only give them your money. Sure big businesses are cashing in. They always do when we give them the chance, but ultimately industry is using, not creating, this elusive "Christmas spirit."

      They're happy to take our money, as always, but they're not the essence of the holiday, so what is?
Here's what I notice most about Christmas: People are crazy. They crowd into little stores and squeeze around each other in narrow isles trying to get gifts for family and friends. They send their electric bills through the roof as they light up their houses and yards. They travel incredible distances through all kinds of weather on the worst travel days of the year. And even though they're traveling under these horrible conditions, they hope for snow!!! They can be sitting stuck in traffic with hours to go on their trip, and yet they'll pause for a moment and say, "I sure hope we get some snow this year." It's crazy, but it happens every year.
So what am I saying, that Christmas is all about being mentally unbalanced for a day? Well, yes, sort of. For one part of every year, people run around doing what's not convenient, what doesn't make sense, and they do it because it's Christmas. It's once a year that people throw logic out the window and do what feels right. People going out of their way to show and spread this ambiguous "Christmas Spirit" is what the holidays are really about. When else do people think so hard about what someone else wants? When else can you catch someone wishing for snow just because it looks nice? When do we spend so much time decorating to make our houses cheerier to be in? I don't think there is another time. Yes, Christmas comes but once a year, but when it comes, it comes for everyone. If you can see beauty, if you can spread joy, if you can, even if only for one day, ignore logic in favor of abstractions like happiness and love, then you can celebrate Christmas. If anyone tells you different, send them to me, and I'll slap them silly.		  
             

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